That blows: Markey claims Gardner wanted a wind tax

Congresswoman Betsy Markey rips opponent Cory Gardner in a new ad, accusing him of being hypocritical on taxes.

She’s the one who has tax issues, Gardner’s campaign countered.

As campaign ads go, this one at least looks different. In most ads, wind is not a sound effect.

” … the hypocrisy will blow you away,” Markey says.

Markey, a Fort Collins Democrat, claims that a bill Gardner, a Yuma Republican, has said he doesn’t support higher taxes, but a bill he introduced in the state legislature this year would have resulted in more taxes.

“By clarifying that wind rights can be separated from property, it is likely that county assessors will need to create a separate wind rights tax schedule and to value that right for tax purposes, if they have not already done so. Increased recognition of the value of wind over time, with or without this bill, could significantly increase the number of severed wind rights and the workload of assessors.”

Gardner’s campaign accused Markey of “outright lies.”

“Rep. Markey should be embarrassed and ashamed of her latest attempt to save her political career,” said Rachel Boxer, spokeswoman for the Gardner campaign. “The only candidate in this race that has a record of higher taxes is Rep. Markey — she supported the government takeover of our healthcare system, a national energy tax and the $787 billion stimulus bill.”

House Bill 1158 was designed to protect private property rights and keep the courts from voiding private sale contracts, Boxer said.

“It had absolutely nothing to do with taxes,” Boxer said. “The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights requires voter approval of any new tax or taxing entity.”

Also running in the 4th Congressional District are Doug Aden of the American Constitution Party and Ken “Wasko” Waszkiewicz.

Markey is in a hole and won’t quit digging. Her behavior is shameful! Why doesn’t she campaign on her stellar voting record, it parallels Nancy Pelosi’s and look how well Nancy is doing in her district?

Markey is in a hole and won’t quit digging. Her behavior is shameful! Why doesn’t she campaign on her stellar voting record, it parallels Nancy Pelosi’s and look how well Nancy is doing in her district?

Markey is in a hole and won’t quit digging. Her behavior is shameful! Why doesn’t she campaign on her stellar voting record, it parallels Nancy Pelosi’s and look how well Nancy is doing in her district?

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.